The compact nature of pistols differentiates them from other kinds of weapon loot. Pistols are small enough to be swallowed whole by Skags and hungry Zombies, thus they can appear as loot in a Skag pile,
or regurgitated by a certain talkative Zombie as a possible reward for his missions. Weapon chests (either red, white, or Crimson Lance) can contain up to four pistols per shelf, whereas other weapons are limited to one or two per shelf. Pistols can also be found in lockers.

The small size of pistols allows Lance Defenders to fire them with one hand, their other hand being occupied by their riot shield. Pistols are also very common among bandits, especially Thugs.

Borderlands 2

Pistols are also present as a basic armament in Borderlands 2. Unlike any other weapon type, they are made by all manufacturers.

Bandit: Bandit pistols boast large magazine sizes; however, their lackluster stats overall make them the worst manufacturer in most situations.

Dahl: Dahl pistols are semi-automatic when fired from the hip and fire bursts when aiming down the sights.

Hyperion: Hyperion pistols are ideal for run-and-gun gameplay due to their excellent accuracy when fired continuously. The Vladof-barreled Synergy is especially potent at laying down accurate, rapid-fire damage.

Jakobs: Jakobs pistols are semi-automatic but may be fired very rapidly. They also offer a higher critical hit bonus than other pistols.

Maliwan: Maliwan pistols deal bonus elemental damage in addition to what is listed on their item cards, which compensates for their increased ammunition consumption.